America's Biggest Companies Tell Us Where The World Is Heading

During the fat years, companies tend to guide optimistically. And during the lean years, management tends to be cautious.

But lately, uncertainty has been dominating the economy as the U.S. wrestles with the fiscal cliff, China tries to accelerate again, and Europe tries to stabilize its debt crisis.

Because the macroeconomic reports (eg GDP, inflation, etc.) can be tough to interpret, we decided to thumb through recent press releases and earnings conference calls from America's biggest corporations, who have a more intimate understanding of what's really going on in the economy.

With the help of SeekingAlpha, Goldman Sachs' S&P 500 Beige Book, and FactSet reports, we pulled together the key anecdotes that reveal what's really going on in the economy.

Concerns regarding the fiscal cliff, slowing demand in Europe, and concept of the 'new normal' lead this litany of observations from company executives on the upcoming year.